The present conference proposal is a request to develop an important area of applied cognitive aging research--the role of age an cognitive function in understanding patient behavior in medical setting. Development in this domain has substantial implications for understanding utilization of limited health care resources and for benefits for older adults. A conference and edited volume are proposed that focus on three areas: medical decision-making and aging, the human factors perspective associated with structuring medical information for older adults, and model of medication adherence. Because much progress has been made in our basic understanding of age-related changes in cognitive mechanisms, this undeveloped topic seems well-suited for emphasis at this time. The issue has been highlighted as one of importance for future research in the 1995 federal "Task Force on Aging Report."